Sizing your garden?

[Daox]

This is a topic I know very little about, so bear with me.

I already have a garden area fenced off in the yard, but I'm wondering if it'll be large enough to provide a descent amount of food. What size garden are you using, and how many people are eating from it? Do you wish yours was larger, or is it already too much?

[insaneintenti0n]

That's a good question. I started wondering similar thoughts. I've wanted to do pumpkins and watermelon, for a 'just because' reasoning. Then my neighbor started growing some green peppers and gave me some, and damn were they good. So i decided I wanted to do that, lettuce, and other things that I use often that I can't justify going to a grocery store for. My wife really doesn't eat green stuff, so it would all be for me. We have several gardens scattered throughout the yard, all taken up by flowers, lol... and we actually got rid of two because it was making mowing hard, and both had a rotted out wood around em.

This is in our front yard, so i wouldn't plant there, but i'd assume something this size, maybe half, would do you good. If you can dedicate it to 'food' anyway.

[Daox]

Haha, yeah you kinda 'found' the forum. Its hasn't really been officially launched yet and we're still working on it.

Your yard looks very nice BTW.

Our current garden area isn't too small. I'd say its around 10'x15'ish. I just don't know if that'll be good for 4 adults and 3 kids. Then again, I'm not exactly sure what will all be planted yet, but I'm sure it'll be a variety of things.

[GenKreton]

My parents have two identically sized square plots that I made for them. We used some spare 2x4's and created a raised perimeter and put compost and some fertilizer (ugh) inside. They are about 6'x6' or 7'x7.' Anyways it helps feed 4-5 adults providing veggies from peppers, tomatoes, onions, basil and other herbs, lettuce, green beans, brussel sprouts, summer squash, and a few other things. My father ends up donating a sizable amount to the local soup kitchen and giving some more tomatoes to people in the neighborhood.

Your planned garden is almost exactly 50% larger although you are feeding more people too. It depends on what you plant to a large degree because some plants need to be seeded farther apart than others, but you will definitely get a good amount of food to at least assist with your grocery bills.

The best thing I personally think you could do would be to get something like one of those used wine barrels they sell as a package for composting. They seem to work amazing. One key to composting is getting a system that you can actively turn . I think one of the more important aspects to gardening is trying to do it without fertilizers and pesticides.

[Daox]

Well, I just went out and measured it... I was a bit off in my initial thoughts. Its actually about 15'x25'. I think that'll be enough for now.

[Tony Raine]

i'm wondering this same thing. space isn't an issue (check out my intro thread), but time is. I don't want to dive in over my head and not be able to keep it up, or run out of room for the things i want.

this is what i would like to grow:
green beans
peas
carrots

just my wife and i, as far as who its for.

i figure one long row for each type, to keep it simple. maybe make each row 20' long? i wonder if i should run my rows W-E or N-S?


guess i need to just have a chat with my grandmother about a lot of this. hopefully next year i'll get this all going and post up a bunch of pics.

[insaneintenti0n]

from my wife:
An Introduction to Square-Foot Gardening ? Get Rich Slowly

[Daox]

Good link insaneintention.

[toyobug]

Daox, 15'X25' should be more than enough. The last garden I had was 10'X12' and it was plenty for 4. I grew peppers, cucmbers, strawberry's and pees. We always had more than enough. What you don't use you can put in the freezer, and grow something different when you replant.

[Higgy]

Daox, my garden is 12x24 just to give you a rough idea of what I have. We planted about 20 tomato plants, (10 of which were my parents...the smaller ones in the pic in my Intro), 3 cucumber plants, belgian onions (given to my by my grandmother who just passed away this February God rest her soul, so these are very precious to me as she brought them back from Belgium a long time ago), 3 rows of beans, 3 rows of carrots, and 2 rows of beats. I personally wish the garden was bigger as I'd like to try some different things, but I love what I have.

My wife does a lot with tomatoes (salsa, jarring tomatoes for use in sauces and what not...both her parents were born in Italy...it's in the genes ). And her mom and her whipped up most of the carrots and beats for baby food for our 4 month old once he starts on solids. I'd say 10 tomato plants is a little overkill for us. And I'm not sure my parents will put any in next year, so I'll have room for other things. I'm going to play it by ear. I just bought a garden book to help me out, and I learned that you can set up your garden to produce certain vegetables during the winter and also plant certain ones in the fall so that they're ready to pick in the spring/summer, so it gives you a wide range to try different things. I may try hot peppers next year for my wife's salsa.

In any case, you should have a big enough garden with a 15x25.